Sara Nadel is transforming the way we hire hourly-wage workers, expanding opportunity in the process.

Hourly-wage jobs are characterized by constant turnover: 30% to 50% of new hires quit within 60 days. As a result, HR teams face an endless cycle of recruiting, on-boarding, and training.

Data scientist Sara Nadel believes it doesn’t have to be this way. With doctoral research she conducted at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Sara has shown that the best indicator of future success for hourly-wage workers is job fit. What’s more, she believes job fit is one of the most effective levers to enable economic security and upward mobility for workers. But few resources exist to help minimum-wage workers identify the jobs they’re best suited for, and traditional hiring metrics that prioritize education and experience are often inadequate to assess a candidate’s true potential to succeed.

With her company, StellarEmploy, Sara is pioneering a data-driven approach to hiring hourly-wage workers based on capability. StellarEmploy provides employers with data-driven, artificial-intelligence tools— including the StellarEmploy Job Preferences Survey, which assesses meaningful qualities, like ability to multitask, and attention to detail— to match applicants with jobs where they will truly excel.